Lips of an Angel
by mountainrangeonfire
Summary: "My girl's in the next room, sometimes I wish she was you. I guess we never really moved on..." Dasey. Twoshot. First fanfic ever!
1. Chapter 1

**sooooooooo this is my first fanfic. ever. I posted this on tumblr already, but thought I would make an account here and post it because, well, I'm interested in doing more. So, tell me what you think, but go easy on me please :)**

**p.s. this is based _loosely_ off of Hinder's "Lips of an Angel" (hence the title), but you don't need to know the song to get the story.**

**I own nothing.**

Derek Venturi's life was great. He was passing all his classes (including feminist theory, which he signed up for after losing a bet with Sam). The birthday present Marti wanted was relatively inexpensive (which meant he could be the Best Big Brother Ever and still be able to pay his car insurance that month). And, to top it all off, he had a hot, sweet, easy-going girlfriend (who was _nothing_ like Casey at all). So why is it that not 40 minutes after taking his relationship with said girlfriend to the, ahem, "next level", he was on the phone with the very girl who starred in all of his dirty dreams for the better part of high school?

"Der-_ek_! Are you even listening to me?" _that girl's_ voice screeched, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Case, what the hell would make you think I was listening to you?" He responded reflexively. He didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned that he slid back into his old role so easily. It had been two months since they had last spoken, but it felt like longer.

Their first semester at Queens, they had been almost like… friends. No, not friends, they could never be friends. But it was obvious to the both of them that, in their own, weird way, they enjoyed the other's presence. Of course, Derek knew how he felt, but he wasn't so sure about Casey. The time they spent together was voluntary, seeing as no one was forcing them together anymore. They fought, oh boy did they fight, but the fights seemed to become even more… charged.

Then Christmas break came around. Being surrounded by the family they shared was like a rude wake-up call. Derek felt like an idiot for thinking anything could ever happen, for going through all that trouble to make _sure_ he and Casey ended up going to the same University. It didn't matter how far away they went, it wouldn't change the fact that the "step" in step-sibling was a lot easier to overlook that the "sibling". So when they got back to school, it was almost as if they had made a silent agreement to stay out of each-other's lives. For good this time. Well, until now.

"You're right. I shouldn't have expected you to behave like a civilized human being. I just thought, considering the subject matter, you might be remotely engaged." She quipped back, once again bringing him back.

"Considering _what_ subject matter? You forget, I wasn't listening."

"My horrible taste in guys. "

Oh boy.

"…Is there anything more to say on the subject than that?" He knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he _really_ did not want to have this conversation.

"I thought I had learned my lesson." She continued, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Well there's your problem! Even a keener like you should know you can't study your way through relationships."

"Ugh I don't know why I even called you. Of course you're no help. There must be someone else I can call-"

Derek dragged a hand across his face. He should let her go. Go back to bed with Ellie. Anything but further this conversation.

"Case, wait."

Obviously, his mouth and his brain weren't on the same page.

"_What _Derek?"

"Tell me what happened."

"Why? It's not like you care." She sniffled. Oh shit, was she _crying?_

"_Casey_. Whatever it is, it's the reason that instead of being in bed with my very hot girlfriend, I'm in the living room of her apartment, in my underwear, _at two in the morning_, talking to my obviously insane stepsister. So, I'm sure as hell going to find out what that reason is." He all but growled.

"Oh, I didn't realize… you, uh… I didn't mean to interrupt… girlfriend?" she stammered. She actually said a lot more than that, but whatever she muttered, Derek couldn't understand. Flustered was better than crying, but he was going for angry.

"Earth to Space-Case!" he taunted, reverting back to a more reliable tactic. "You gonna tell me or what?"

"Ricky broke up with me." She responded finally, in a painfully small voice. He was losing his touch.

Wait, who the hell is Ricky?

"I thought I had finally found a nice guy, someone who cared about and respected me. But it turns out he was no better than any of the other losers I end up with." She lamented.

"You lost me." Derek informed her.

"Sex, Derek. He wanted me to have sex and I wasn't ready. So he dumped me."

Three thoughts ran through Derek's mind. First: ohmygod, is Casey's a virgin? Second: That dick tried to pressure her into doing something she wasn't ready for! Third: She's coming to _me_ with this!?

"- I mean even a scumbag like Truman was willing to wait, like, four months until I was ready to sleep with him! And Max and I didn't do it until shortly before we broke up."

If Derek was drinking something, he would have spit it out. This was too much information in too small an amount of time. Sure, he had always been involved in her love life, intentionally or not, but this was more than he had ever known before. And there was only one intelligent thought he could muster at the moment.

"You lost it to MAX?!"

Okay, maybe intelligent is a bit of a stretch.

"Der-_ek_!You're missing the point!"

Right. The point. The one where Casey's douchebag boyfriend broke up with her because she wouldn't sleep with him.

"Well what do you want me to do about it? Isn't this the part of the chick flick where you and your friends cry, pig-out on ice-cream and talk about how much he sucks?"

What Derek wanted to do was kill the guy, but he figured that wouldn't make either of them feel better. For very long, anyways.

"I can't!" she cried.

"Why not!"

"None of your business!"

"You're making it my business!"

"I can't okay! I kind of… blew my friends off while I was dating Ricky. It wouldn't be right for me to go to them now."

"So now what?" He asked her. "You want me to stand in? Help you through your break-up? Not going to happen."

"I'm not asking you to. I just… never mind. I should let you go. It's late, I've bothered you enough."

Derek was conflicted. On the one hand, he should take the out she was giving him. If he left, like he knew he was going to if he didn't go back to bed _now_, he could be sure he and Ellie wouldn't last a whole lot longer. Sure, Ellie was pretty easy-going, but her waking up alone after their first night together wouldn't look too good. Not to mention, a late-night rendezvous with a girl he's been in love with for four years doesn't strike him as being entirely faithful, regardless of whether or not anything actually happened.

On the other hand, his feelings for Casey had just hit him like a freight train. He was worried about her, and he _missed _her. And she called him! So obviously this… whatever it is wasn't one-sided. If he let her go, he was sure they would just go on as if this conversation never happened. In fact, they'd probably end up even more distant. It would end anything they had resembling a relationship.

He looked from the bedroom, where Ellie was still asleep, to the phone, where Casey was still on the line. _Damn_ he thought. And he made his choice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's part 2!**

**Still own nothing.**

Casey McDonald's life was a mess. She hadn't spoken to her mother since winter break (which may or may not be because she was avoiding her mother's calls). She had just broken up with her boyfriend (not that she liked him that much to begin with). Above all else, though, it was apparent that she had just lost all semblance of willpower. She had caved in and called Derek. She couldn't even write it off as seeking comfort from someone familiar, seeing as she wasn't upset. Honestly, she had just been looking for an excuse to break up with Ricky.

Here's what had happened. Over the first semester at Queens, Derek and Casey had formed a camaraderie, so to speak. She wasn't that surprised, it was nice to have a familiar face in Kingston. Someone who was well versed in her freak-outs and her neurosis, who she couldn't scare away. She could be sweet, friendly Casey around her friends, and crazy Casey around Derek. Their dynamic worked well. She made sure he did his work, and he made sure she didn't bury herself in hers.

And she'd be lying if she said her decision to go to Queens had nothing to do with the acceptance letter addressed to Derek Venturi she pretended she hadn't seen in the mailbox. Or her decision not to go to New York for that matter.

And then they went home for Christmas. As much as she wanted to happily help with preparations for the new baby, Casey couldn't help feeling crushed. Because that baby would be _both_ their sibling. Half McDonald, half Venturi. They would be connected in a way they hadn't before. Why did it have to be Derek? It'd be so much easier if it had been, say, Sam that she had fallen for, couldn't stop thinking about. That she just felt like _herself _around. Casey realized that it didn't even matter if those looks Derek gave her were just her imagination. Nothing could happen between them.

So when they got back to Queens, she avoided him like the plague, and hoped to god he would understand why. Seeing as he didn't push the issue, Casey figured he did. And then, when she met Ricky, she latched onto him, in a desperate attempt to banish all Derek-related feelings from her head. Of course it didn't work, but the distraction was still good for her. The break up was stupid, she knew. Ricky wasn't pressuring her really, and he would understand if she wasn't ready. But the problem was she would _never_ be ready, not with him. So she blew it out of proportion, effectively ending the relationship and making Ricky think he had dodged a bullet with Crazy Casey. Which, come to think of it, he probably had. Derek was the only one who really knew how to deal with her when she lost it.

She called Derek because she couldn't _not_ call Derek. Maybe she realized he was _it_ for her. Maybe she just missed him. Either way, it didn't matter. He had moved on, or he didn't think of her that way in the first place. He was too busy with his "very hot girlfriend". She had to pull out the waterworks to convince him to even stay on the line.

This is how she ended up here; face down on her bed in her dorm, picturing Derek and his girlfriend. Sure, Casey had never seen the girl, but her imagination ran away with her. Case was sure she had long blonde hair (they always did), long tan legs (just the way he liked it) and much more _experience_ than Casey herself (honestly, who didn't?). Hell, she was probably a model. It was a miracle he could even remember Casey's name after a night with _her_. She was definitely more interesting than Casey, seeing as she was the reason Derek had hung up on her. That's right, _hung up on her. _With no explanation! Sure, Derek could be a jerk, but _really_? He hadn't heard from her in moths, he could at least give her a goodbye!

Before Casey could continue to internally rant about Derek, a knock rang out from the door. It was aggressive and urgent, irritating Casey before she even knew who had administered it. She stomped to the door, ready to give the person a piece of her mind, but froze when she laid eyes on her guest.

"I know I'm attractive Case," Derek said with a smirk, "but do you think you could let me in instead of just gawking at me?

"Derek? What are you doing here?" Casey replied, decidedly ignoring his comment. "It's 3 AM!

"Well seeing as you decided to disturb _my _peace tonight, or should I say this morning, I thought I'd return the favor." And with that, he strolled past her and into the room.

"It's nice to know irritating me is still more important than whoever ends up in your bed." She spat, finding him perched on _her_ bed.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. Irritating you will _always_ be my first priority."

Both of them ignored the implications of that statement.

"So," he segued, "I don't see Ben _or _Jerry. For someone who just got their heart broken, you don't seem very, well, broken."

"Well, I, uh, wait a minute! Derek Venturi, did you come here to comfort me!?"

"HA! No way. I just expected more mopey-ness from how you were on the phone."

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I'm actually kind of relieved." She absent-mindedly admitted.

"Then why'd you call!?"

Shoot. She probably shouldn't have said that. Now how to distract him…?

"Why'd you come over!?" she shot back.

He didn't have a response to that. She sighed and sat down next to him. Eventually, the silence got to her.

"It's been a while." She muttered.

"Yeah." He responded, just as quietly. "I should get going, before Ellie wakes up…"

"Ellie, your girlfriend."

"Yeah."

He stood and began to walk towards the door, but Casey couldn't let him go. Not now, after going so long without seeing him. (Especially with her willpower still absent).

"Wait! You don't have to go." She insisted. "We could, I don't know, watch a movie or something."

Derek sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't want to watch a movie Case. It's late."

It was then that Casey noticed his appearance. Aside from the pajama pants hanging from his hips and the leather jacket hanging from his frame, he wasn't dressed. His hair was sticking up at odd places, and not in the intentional way. He looked like he had left in a hurry. And they hadn't been off the phone ten minutes before he showed up…

"Why'd you come over?" She couldn't help but demand once more.

"Why'd you call?" he countered. It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

"I missed you!" she shouted at him, before she could think better of it. "Why'd you come over?"

"I love you!" he shouted back. "I always have! I couldn't handle it! I had to know you were alright, so I wouldn't lose it and kill that son of a bitch!"

"You- you what?" she stared at him. She wasn't expecting that. She was stunned enough that he didn't side-step the question, and that he was so riled up about it. But to think he loved her? He had always loved her? How long was always? As in, since their parents got married? But wait – he couldn't. No. "What about Ellie?" She stated more than she asked, her stare transforming into a glare.

"What about Ellie?" he snapped, frustration and exasperation still prominent in his voice. "Or Emily, or Sally, or Kendra? I've dated tons of girls Case. And you know why it ends? Because they're not you. The same thing would've happened with Ellie, but she probably won't ever give me the time of day again anyways. Because _I'm here with you_."

Casey took a deep breath and let the words sink in. He loved her. A smile began to creep its way across her face. He _loved_ her. He loved _her_. That's when she knew, it didn't matter what her family thought. This was more important. _He _was more important.

"I'm leaving." He announced, sounding more tired than embarrassed.

"Derek, wait!"

"_What_ Casey?"

She beamed up at him. "I love you too."

Derek smirked down at his step-sister, all weariness leaving his eyes. "I figured as much," he informed her.

"DER-_EK_!" she cried, "That's not what you're - " but the rest of her tirade would be lost, because after that her lips suddenly became… otherwise occupied.

_Fin._


End file.
